The recent unmasking of prostitute/blogger Belle de Jour has the British press talking about…
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According to Richard Abowitz's profile in The Daily Beast, the Courtesan is nearly 29 and has been blogging since 2006, but recently enjoyed a popularity boost when she started her Twitter feed. Some fellow sex workers are worried her blog [NSFW] will bring them unwanted attention, and casino security guards say they read it to see how call girls get past their defenses — and, of course, for entertainment. If anything, Las Vegas Courtesan's popularity shows that America's appetite for the private musings of prostitutes is almost as great as its desire for their services.

What's most interesting about the Courtesan's blog is its combination of mystery and demystification. Its author regularly post erotic photos of herself — a nipple, a thong — in which her face is cropped out or obscured. In these she's every bit the unattainable sex goddess, offering you a tiny glimpse of her body and her life. And yet, she also posts workmanlike descriptions of her trips to Costco (to buy condoms in bulk, natch), and servicey pieces about how to greet an escort without raising suspicion. Her blog works the job-like-any-other angle while remaining unabashedly sexual. Abowitz notices this dichotomy, and seems into it. He writes, "For the best-known unknown hooker in Vegas, Cali's life is almost shockingly prosaic. Today, a Sunday afternoon, is the day she runs errands." And,

Like a doctor, today she is on call. Sunday is her favorite day to work.

"For a lot of people, it's their last day in Vegas," she says. "They are going to blow the rest of their money on something." She keeps a pair of heels in her car for when the call comes, and shows up to meet her clients in her regular clothes. "The first time I was nervous, but guys like the girl-next-door look."

She seems to have applied her promotional savvy to her blog as well, reasoning that readers sometimes like the "girl-next-door look" of Costco posts, especially mixed in with thong shots. This isn't, however, the only contradiction in the Courtesan's work. She tells Abowitz that Fox News has asked her for an interview, which she declined because, "I hate Fox News. And, hello? I am not going to be on camera! They offered to disguise my face but I am not a fan and don't trust their message." However, she's in line with that message in one way — her Twitter feed is full of criticisms of healthcare reform. She writes, "People don't realize that socialist nations (ie UK & Spain) are drowning from programs. On a whole different level of broke," and, "what is there to lose? Everything the founding fathers fought for: freedom and a smaller government." She's like a combination of Belle de Jour and Glenn Beck — no wonder Fox is calling.